Cornbread is always a treat. There's nothing like that dense , yellow crumb and sweet taste , perfect with a lashing of butter. Imagine that it could be made better.it can thanks to the Paraguayan version of it.
Regular contributor Christine Morales wrote about this side dish in yesterday's New York Times wednesday Food section. It is Paraguay's (a landlocked country between Chile and Brazil) national dish, created in the mid-1800's Legend hhas it that during Carlos Antonio Lopez's presidency , an over zealous chef added too much cornmeal to the often served dish of corn soup.In an attempt to fix the dish he put the dish in the oven and baked it. the leader loved it so much tat he proclaimed it the national dish of the country. However a truer story is that the bread hade been baked for centuries before that. The Cario-Guarini indigenous tribe living near what is now Ascension likely used native corn and baked a bread when they learned about dairy from the Spanish colonists. Its' hard to get here in the US where 30,000 Paraguyans live. Most Paraguyan restaurants serve it as a side to grilled meat.It's also hard to recreate since cheese used, a rich,creamy Paraguyan queso is hard to find. Some bakers sub in mozzarella, Montery Jack or Muenster. Another problem is that it's usually wrapped in banana leaves and baked in a clay oven.
Can it be made at home? Yes. Ms Morales does include a recipe for it.Keep in mind it has a texture that os soft and spongy like bread pudding instead of the usual form one associated with cornbread. Try to use P.A.N. cornmeal which is white precooked cornmeal (if nothing else use your regular kind) aong with a cup of fresh or canned kernals. Get the Paraguyan queso if you're lucky to have a South American market nearby.If not use grated Muenster or mozzarella. This is a very eggy dish . eight eggs with the yolks and whites separated are used along with one firmly diced yellow onion. The recipe is a little more labor intensive than the American version.The kernels have to be cooked and then pureed and then combined with the cornmeal until well mixed. The egg whites have to bee beaten into a meringue like froth . Then the yolks are wisked in one at a time. This is set aside. The onion is sauteed in corn oil and all the ingredients are mixed together. It'll look like cake batter and is baked for forty to forty-five minutes in an 375 F arenhit oven. The bakin pan should be greased with corn oil and not butter. Cool fifteen to twney minutes before serving with any grilled meat.
Sopa Paraguayo is a wonderful accompaniment to any steak or chicken dish. Try it with pork as well.Its a different take on the classic cornbread.
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